Before last evening, had not watched a game yet this year due to the commies over at the BTN...
So here are some thoughts from afar.
Williams - No one thought he would be this good so far. It will be interesting to see him against Butler; I think he will struggle offensively in the 1/2 court when people start bodying him up, but I would be thrilled if he could end the year as a guy that we don't need to score at all. He is good defensively because of his length and athleticism, and he fits the system well when initiating the full-court press.
DJ - Best player on the team, hands down. Saw him do everything last night, as he normally does. Shoot it, defend, block shots, pass, dunk, run the court, etc. This guy has improved more in 4 years than any Gopher in recent memory.
Nolen - 2nd best player on the court yesterday (yes, better than RW in my opinion). Nothing fancy, but no one takes the ball from him, and defensively you can see guys cringe when he picks them up full court. Still needs to be better on the drive-and-dish, but he was better in the 1/2 court last night than I can remember from last year. He is never going to be a shooter, so we should just stop expecting it. If he can facilitate and play D, that should be enough from him.
RSIII - Not much to see from him with only 19 minutes. I thought he would get more touches because of the smallish lineup from Utah Valley, but he was kind of nonexistent. I think he will be okay this year but I found myself really missing Mbakwe, a guy who would spend his time rebounding and attacking the rim... not sure what to make of RSIII's effort in the game other than to say it was "okay".
Devoe - Not sure how many times Doyle (color guy) said "this guy has taken 17 shots in 37 minutes so far this year!" or something like that. I agree that he shoots a lot but I was okay with most of his shots. I read another thread saying that he was trying to fill Westbrook's shoes last night; I agree. And it showed a little; he just never looked comfortable. I am not worried however, as he is a very good shooter and will show up this year for us when we need it.
Hoff - He was solid. Did what would be expected of him; shot it when he was open. For some reason, the shots just aren't falling the way they did when he was a frosh, although he did make a couple last night. I remember the OSU game from last year when he hadn't done anything all year, and then BAM, he hits like 5 threes in a row and people are going "where'd that come from". I see another similar year from Blake this year.
Iverson - Doyle said during the game that Iverson appeared as though he was still growing into his body, and that he "falls down a lot". I happen to agree with Doyle. He just doesn't look comfortable out there, and everything appears to be a struggle. I still think his potential is vast, and he will be a serviceable backup this year, but if/when Mbakwe gets on the court, his minutes will be less than 10 a game.
Carter - I found myself frustrated every time he touched the ball last night. Just trying to do too much out there. He plays extremely hard, but made many mistakes with the ball and on defense. It is nice to have depth and athleticism on the bench, but for now I believe that is all he is going to provide with the emergence of RW.
Cobbs - Like him after seeing him in limited minutes. He is solid with the ball, and is confident. He will be a good backup this year, and will play big minutes in his 4 years in the program. Physically, he can compete now. I am sure he will struggle a little in Big Ten play but thankfully we don't need him to be spectacular, just solid for 10-12 minutes per game.
So here are some thoughts from afar.
Williams - No one thought he would be this good so far. It will be interesting to see him against Butler; I think he will struggle offensively in the 1/2 court when people start bodying him up, but I would be thrilled if he could end the year as a guy that we don't need to score at all. He is good defensively because of his length and athleticism, and he fits the system well when initiating the full-court press.
DJ - Best player on the team, hands down. Saw him do everything last night, as he normally does. Shoot it, defend, block shots, pass, dunk, run the court, etc. This guy has improved more in 4 years than any Gopher in recent memory.
Nolen - 2nd best player on the court yesterday (yes, better than RW in my opinion). Nothing fancy, but no one takes the ball from him, and defensively you can see guys cringe when he picks them up full court. Still needs to be better on the drive-and-dish, but he was better in the 1/2 court last night than I can remember from last year. He is never going to be a shooter, so we should just stop expecting it. If he can facilitate and play D, that should be enough from him.
RSIII - Not much to see from him with only 19 minutes. I thought he would get more touches because of the smallish lineup from Utah Valley, but he was kind of nonexistent. I think he will be okay this year but I found myself really missing Mbakwe, a guy who would spend his time rebounding and attacking the rim... not sure what to make of RSIII's effort in the game other than to say it was "okay".
Devoe - Not sure how many times Doyle (color guy) said "this guy has taken 17 shots in 37 minutes so far this year!" or something like that. I agree that he shoots a lot but I was okay with most of his shots. I read another thread saying that he was trying to fill Westbrook's shoes last night; I agree. And it showed a little; he just never looked comfortable. I am not worried however, as he is a very good shooter and will show up this year for us when we need it.
Hoff - He was solid. Did what would be expected of him; shot it when he was open. For some reason, the shots just aren't falling the way they did when he was a frosh, although he did make a couple last night. I remember the OSU game from last year when he hadn't done anything all year, and then BAM, he hits like 5 threes in a row and people are going "where'd that come from". I see another similar year from Blake this year.
Iverson - Doyle said during the game that Iverson appeared as though he was still growing into his body, and that he "falls down a lot". I happen to agree with Doyle. He just doesn't look comfortable out there, and everything appears to be a struggle. I still think his potential is vast, and he will be a serviceable backup this year, but if/when Mbakwe gets on the court, his minutes will be less than 10 a game.
Carter - I found myself frustrated every time he touched the ball last night. Just trying to do too much out there. He plays extremely hard, but made many mistakes with the ball and on defense. It is nice to have depth and athleticism on the bench, but for now I believe that is all he is going to provide with the emergence of RW.
Cobbs - Like him after seeing him in limited minutes. He is solid with the ball, and is confident. He will be a good backup this year, and will play big minutes in his 4 years in the program. Physically, he can compete now. I am sure he will struggle a little in Big Ten play but thankfully we don't need him to be spectacular, just solid for 10-12 minutes per game.
